On Nov. 2, I issued an executive order that authorizes state government managers and workers to enter into employee partnerships. Since then, some opponents have incorrectly characterized what this order does and does not do. Some of the criticism borders on hysteria. Here are the facts:

A majority of states and scores of municipalities and private businesses have implemented different methods of employee-management engagement over the years. But the framework outlined in this executive order is uniquely Colorado.

The goal is simple: Bring managers and employees together to make government services more effective, efficient and reliable for the public, and make government a model employer so we can recruit and retain the highest-caliber workforce in the country.

This is another step forward in the reform process we initiated when I took office 10 months ago. The Government Efficiency and Management Performance Review is a perfect example of those reforms. As part of the GEM review, we asked employees for their efficiency ideas, and they responded by submitting an incredible 12,000 survey responses, some of which will lead to $145 million in savings and benefits over the next five years.

The partnership agreements authorized by the executive order advance that efficiency mission. We will better utilize employees’ knowledge, skills and ingenuity by encouraging snowplow drivers, state troopers, maintenance workers, administrative clerks and others to engage managers in discussions about ways to:

Identify and implement efficiency measures and eliminate waste and redundancies;

Improve customer satisfaction, such as reducing wait times;

Enhance employee recruitment, training and retention; and

Improve workplace safety.

Innovative companies partner with their employees in this fashion to save money, improve products and enhance services. Employee partnerships reflect the best management practices for running an operation in the 21st century. The partnerships authorized in this executive order are grounded in sound management principles, will help government run more like a business, and will provide fairness and parity with management practices in the private sector.

Twenty-nine states provide collective-bargaining rights to their employees. What we have crafted for Colorado is not collective bargaining. This is a moderate and uniquely Colorado approach that allows me to retain full authority over making budget recommendations and preserves the legislature’s full authority to set the state budget. Existing laws that require a balanced budget and impose strict spending limits remain unchanged.

The order does not call for binding arbitration, and does not require employees to join an employee organization or pay organization fees if they choose not to join.

Prior to this order, employees already had the ability to join an employee organization. This order creates a unique structure that requires state agencies to recognize employee organizations and establishes rules around how these organizations interact with department directors and the administration. The partnership agreements will help us more effectively serve the people of Colorado.

Existing State Personnel Board rules around hiring, disciplining and terminating employees are not impacted by the executive order, and the order contains a very clear no-strike provision. Moreover, the order has no impact on private business or local government employees.

This order strikes a uniquely Colorado balance that allows for formal and engaged decision-making involvement by employees. This is about state employees and their workplace. It is about state government and improving the services we provide to the public.

I chose the executive order route rather than pursuing a statutory change after consulting with lawmakers because it allows me the flexibility and fluidity that I, as CEO of the state workforce, need to effectively and efficiently manage state government. If the order needs to be altered in the future, it is much more adaptable by executive order.

I believe this will be a positive step forward for state government, for our workforce, and for the people of Colorado. I am confident that it will enable state government to better serve the public and ultimately improve customer — and taxpayer — satisfaction.

Bill Ritter Jr. was elected Colorado’s 41st governor in November 2006.